Darnold completed his 2025 season in the best way possible, but how did Sam's season stack up against the rest of the league?
The 2025 NFL season will be looked back on for a host of reasons, but for most, it will be the year where Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold finally got redemption.
After coming to the NFC West this past offseason, the skeptics were out in force, and Darnold rattled off his second straight season of having a record of 14-3.
The playoffs saw Darnold reel in his turnovers (none), after he was a little turnover-prone in the regular season.
Still, 4,048 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions see Darnold have a good season, not great. But that's all Seattle needed him to do with their star-studded defense led by Mike Macdonald.
We know how Darnold is viewed by the Seahawks franchise and those close to him, but how is Sam seen by the national media?
In truth, that can be hard to gauge, as some might think he was "carried" in 2025 by the defense, but one person who isn't of that thought is NFL.com's Nick Shook.
In his 2025 QB rankings, Shook has Darnold at No. 7, behind Trevor Lawrence (6), Justin Herbert (5), Drake Maye (4), Dak Prescott (3), Josh Allen (2), and Matthew Stafford (1).
"Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl champion," Shook wrote. "Sure, he didn't have to do all that much in two of Seattle's three postseason wins, but he definitely powered it to the Super Bowl with his NFC Championship Game performance.
"Don't discount his role in their Super Bowl LX win, either; he may not have made a ton of memorable throws, but he won in the minor areas by slipping would-be sacks, extending plays and scrambling in key spots. Seattle will always revere him, too, because his arrival and subsequent performances symbolize their ascension to the NFL's throne."
That feels about right.
Darnold was a top 10 quarterback in 2025, and he finished off the season in the best way possible.
No, his numbers were eye-popping like Stafford's, but Darnold played the role of bus driver well, and when he had to take over the game, he did it, as evidenced by his NFC Championship performance, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 TDs.
So now Darnold will be looked at differently, at least initially in the 2026 season, because he quietened all the skeptics who were waiting for him to fail.
A top 10 quarterback ranking and a Super Bowl ring. That's not a bad season, Sam.